World Development Report 2019: The changing nature of work (Draft report)
English
Information is gathered from other international organizations that promote skills development and the transition from education and training to work. The Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) was established in 2009 to share research findings, coordinate joint research endeavours, and improve collaboration among organizations working at the international and national levels.
Anticipating and matching skills needs
Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions.
Lifelong learning
There is a critical need for a greater overall investment in education and training, particularly in developing countries. Education and training investments should be closely linked to economic and employment growth strategies and programmes. Responsibility should be shared between the government (primary responsibility), enterprises, the social partners, and the individual. To make lifelong learning for all a reality, countries will need to make major reforms of their vocational and education and training systems. School-to-work schemes for young people should integrate education with workplace learning. Training systems need to become more flexible and responsive to rapidly changing skill requirements. Reforms should also focus on how learning can be facilitated, not just on training for specific occupational categories.
Research papers
Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues.
The 2019 World Development Report (WDR) will study the changes impacting work across different country contexts. The study will reflect on jobs that are likely to disappear due to these forces of change, as well as new jobs that may emerge. It will consider the implications for human capital in different contexts by analyzing data on human capital accumulation in school and work. The Report will also provide suggestions on how individuals, firms, society and governments can capture the opportunities this new world of work can offer.
The Report will draw upon the understanding that “work is school”: work builds human capital. Changes to the nature of work affect the human capital individuals need to accumulate through formal education before entering the labor market. These changes also shape the type and quantity of human capital that individuals will be able to accumulate in the work place. In taking this approach, the 2019 WDR affirms the importance of work as a complement to healthcare and education in the production of human capital.
Individuals, firms, governments, and society more broadly, can adjust to the changing nature of work. Individuals need to train or retool existing skills if they are to stay competitive. Firms must confront the challenge of fast-paced technological change and highly concentrated markets. Governments and societies seek appropriate policies that guard against rising inequality. As technology facilitates more non-traditional forms of employment, social protection becomes even more important. While facing different challenges, countries are considering how to ensure a basic level of protection for their workers and populations. The WDR will add stylized facts and analysis to this debate.